Kerala yet to receive over Rs 1,100 crore from Centre for development of education: Sivankutty

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Tuesday claimed that Rs 1186.84 crore is the central share, including arrears, that the state is yet to receive for the development of public education and urged the Union government to immediately allocate the amount.

In a statement issued by his office, Sivankutty also demanded that the central government desist from its moves to allegedly weaken the Kerala model, which is committed to inclusive and quality education for all.

The minister said that arrears of the central share for 2023-24 and 2024-25 were Rs 280.58 crore and Rs 513.54 crore, respectively, and the amount approved for 2025-26 was Rs 654.54 crore, according to the statement.

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He claimed that Kerala's share was being withheld as it did not sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the PM SHRI scheme. The minister further said in the statement that while praising the state for organising its school sports festival, recently held in Kochi, on the model of the Olympics, the central government has withheld funds for the Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) programme even though PM SHRI was not part of it.

This will have a negative impact on the children with disabilities, he added. The central government, which praises Kerala for providing inclusive education and promoting sports, has withheld funds for the same, he alleged in the statement.